Lonely Planet İstanbul Guide

İSTANBULKARTS İstanbul’s public-transport system is excellent, and one of its major strengths is the İstanbulkart, a rechargeable travel card similar to London’s Oyster Card, Hong Kong’s Octopus Card and Paris’ Navigo. İstanbulkarts are simple to operate. As you enter a bus or pass through the turnstile at a ferry dock, tram stop or metro station, swipe your card for entry and the fare will automatically be deducted from your balance. The cards offer a considerable discount on fares ( ₺ 2.60, as opposed to the usual ₺ 5, with additional transfers within a two-hour journey window: ₺ 1.85 for the first transfer, ₺ 1.40 for the second, ₺ 0.90 for the third). They can also be used to pay for fares for more than one traveller (one swipe per person per ride). The cards can be purchased from machines at metro, ferry and funicular stations for a nonrefundable charge of ₺ 10 (including ₺ 4 credit) and can be loaded with amounts between ₺ 5 and ₺ 300 at kiosks or at machines at ferry docks, metro and bus stations.